Are you living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)? You know how you dread having surprise visitors because they might see your house in a dissembled tornado of dirty dishes, laundry, toys, and stuff? Do you avoid checking the mail at noon because you're still in your pajamas and you don't want the neighbors to see you...lol...or is that just me? Do you feel like it takes all of 15 seconds after you cleaned the house for it to look dirty again? (I sound like an infomercial don't I)
Well, the idea is that you start with small routines that become habits, and slowly build on them. Then she sends me a daily email highlighting an area of the house to focus on, things that get forgotten like a couple days ago she had me clean my trash cans in and out. A job that needed done, but I wouldn't have thought of it necessarily. So, so far my daily routine is this: (and I LOVE it!)
Within an hour of waking up I:
-Shower and get dressed (down to my shoes...she insists this is necessary, you're much more productive with shoes on) and put makeup on
-"Swish and swipe" basically wipe down the bathroom counter and sink, swish out the toilet (she teaches to put some soap into the toilet brush canister, then all you have to do is grab the brush and swish it around...in my canister I have water, bleach, and some soap...I love that my throne is always clean, and the bleach makes my bathroom smell clean!) I do this while I am getting ready, and really it takes me like 42 seconds...no, I didn't time myself, but it is fast! Quick as a wink!
-start a load of laundry
-unload the dishwasher (because then throughout the day I can put dirty dishes straight into the dishwasher and stay clean and tidy, then at night before bed, I just start the dishwasher)
This is enough to get me feeling super productive! It makes me want to tidy the whole house!
Some other tips:
-Focus on some places in your house that gather clutter, for me it's the kitchen table, and my dresser top. If you spend a 2 minutes de-cluttering it, putting things away, then it will be clean and tidy, and it won't feel so overwhelming!
-My own little tid-bit tip: before putting a dirty towel in the laundry basket, wipe the bathroom floor with it! Or dust off your tv (learned that one from my mom ;) or whatever! There's no sense in dirtying another rag if this one's already headed to the wash...I mean, right?
Please share...what little housekeeping routines do you find essential to keeping your sanity?
My Dad has been reading the Flylady for years and loves it! He is all about being clutter-free and I'm grateful for some of the tips from her website that he has passed on to me. One of my tips [from my mom] would be to fill your sink with hot, soapy water before you start cooking or baking. That way, you can throw mixing bowls and pans in the water as you finish with them and from there move them either to the dishwasher when you clean up, or clean the non-dishwasher items and put them away. Also, my parents established the rule of the "5-minute pick-up" for straightening up the living room/dining room areas. Even with lots of toys, books, etc. out, the living room can usually be "visitor ready" with 5 minutes (or less) of straightening up. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is genious! I really struggle with keeping my house clean...for a couple of reasons: one - I don't like to do housework (mostly because it gets undone so quickly) and two - I much rather play with my kids. But with a toddler and one almost mobile baby, my house is a disaster in a matter of mere minutes from cleaning it and I have been trying to work on little things in my life to help make it not such a chore. I will most def be checking out this website.
ReplyDeleteAlso your house is beautiful! I am so excited for you! Congrats!
Good Tips!!! I will have to try those!! I love them all! I want my house to be less chaotic! I hate coming home to a dirty/unorganized MESS! And then I never have the energy after work to clean it ALL. So if I just do a little bit everyday, it will not always be a lot! Great Idea!! Love you!!
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